Chen Zhou neither agreed nor refused.
In that brief silence, a sudden change occurred.
"Rumble—!!"
The space inside the gu jar, which had finally calmed down, suddenly shook violently, as if struck by a magnitude twelve earthquake.
The walls made of flesh began to writhe frantically. Fissures appeared out of thin air as terrifying energy fluctuations from the outside world hammered against the jar's independent space.
The Toad Saint’s brow furrowed tightly.
'This aura...'
It was the power of the corpse god gu, which he had refined using his own origin death qi.
It was also the final, mournful cry of Thousand-Tangle’s life.
Chen Zhou sensed the situation outside with a strange expression, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Whoa, things are getting quite rowdy out there."
The Toad Saint sensed it too. His voice was soft and full of resignation.
"Thousand-Tangle had a fierce temperament. This was her choice."
"She was ambitious her whole life, refusing to be beneath anyone and even less willing to survive like a lowly ant. To die for what she believed in is not a bad end for her."
The Toad Saint sighed. With a wave of his hand, he sent out a burst of demonic power to stabilize the collapsing space within the jar.
Chen Zhou looked at the seemingly cold-blooded demon king and suddenly asked, "You gave her the corpse god gu specifically for this day?"
The Toad Saint was silent for a moment before nodding, then shaking his head.
"My intention in refining those four corpse god gu was never to kill them."
The Toad Saint’s gaze turned distant, as if piercing through time.
"Five hundred years ago, Ksitigarbha of Great Vows viewed the Southern Region as his gu pot and me as his gu insect. Although I was lucky enough to survive, I know only too well how terrifying that old bald ass is. If he can plant death qi, he can harvest it at any time."
"I knew I could never escape enslavement by death qi in this life, but many of the demons in the Southern Region are innocent."
"In the Southern Region, if I claim my gu techniques are second best, no one dares claim to be first. Since Ksitigarbha wants to raise me as a gu, I can naturally reverse the process and turn his death qi into my own power."
The Toad Saint traced a few lines in the air with his finger.
"A seventh-stage symbiosis is as difficult as reaching the heavens. By utilizing the death qi from that monk of the Aspect of All Beings inside me, I spent centuries of painstaking effort to refine four corpse god gu."
"The corpse god gu can effectively assimilate death qi, making the path to the seventh-stage easier. It also boosts cultivation, though it has the side effect of making one look neither like a demon nor an eerie spirit."
"But I thought that if the day came when my soul vanished and my path ended, these four gu would be the final means for the Southern Region's demons to protect themselves."
"With them, even if disaster strikes in the future, they would have a glimmer of hope. They might even use them to step into the seventh-stage and no longer be slaughtered at will."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhou looked at the old toad with a bit more respect.
As the king of the Southern Region, a monarch should indeed take responsibility for the clansmen who follow him.
Chen Zhou could agree with that sentiment.
Although the old toad was ruthless and had consumed countless humans, he indeed possessed the responsibility and spirit of a king when it came to his own race.
"Three were given to the Azure-Scaled, the Black-Scaled, and Thousand-Tangle," the Toad Saint said with a bitter smile. "Azure-Scaled is devious, but he cherishes his younger brother most. If the brothers are of one mind, they might find a way out."
"Thousand-Tangle hungered for greater strength and possessed a resilient mind; she was also a prime candidate."
Chen Zhou interjected, "And the last one was for Poison-Wing?"
At the mention of Poison-Wing, the Toad Saint’s eyes softened slightly, though they carried a trace of complexity.
"The last one... I saved it for Su Xue."
"Su Xue?" Chen Zhou recalled the gentle female demon Lord Rat had mentioned—the other auspicious god destiny guided by the Auspicious Noble fate, the Heavenly Doctor Noble.
"Yes," the Toad Saint nodded. "Poison-Wing has a unique constitution, born with an innate malevolent aura. If combined with death qi, he would easily suffer a cultivation deviation. He is not suited for this gu."
"He will have better opportunities; he doesn't need this."
"But Su Xue is different. She is too kind and too fragile. In this world of monsters eating monsters, having only healing abilities without thunderous means makes her nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter."
"I broke off ties with Su Xue five hundred years ago and haven't seen her since, but I still worried. I specifically reserved this most refined corpse god gu for her."
The Toad Saint laughed at himself. "But when you mentioned Poison-Wing was harboring human-livestock, I knew who it was."
"In the Southern Region, besides the foolishly kind Su Xue, who else would show such benevolence to the human race and the weak?"
"So, I changed my mind."
"I treated Poison-Wing’s secret with leniency. The human-livestock were of no consequence; I did it because I knew that as long as he was there, Su Xue would be safe."
"Poison-Wing is a fool, but he is sincere. I gave the corpse god gu to Poison-Wing. As long as he lives, Su Xue can live."
"Su Xue isn't suited for such a toxic thing, and she wouldn't like it anyway."
At this point, the Toad Saint looked at Chen Zhou, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
"I used to believe that in this chaotic world of demons, only the strong could set the rules and only slaughter could protect what one wished to keep."
"But after you appeared, I wavered."
The Toad Saint spoke to Chen Zhou with a hint of mutual respect.
"You clearly walk the path of life and death as well, and your death qi is dense, yet you protect those weak flower demons in every possible way. You even went as far as to publicly humiliate Thousand-Tangle for their dignity."
"As a fellow superior, I can naturally see your intent. You allowed your subordinates to defend their own dignity, giving them both power and conviction."
"In that moment, I was deeply moved."
The Toad Saint said frankly, "I admit I cannot do what you do—being able to kill decisively, yet also protect the weak."
"I know your arrival at my Great Demon Assembly was not just for territory, but for the order of all beings."
Listening to the old toad’s analysis, Chen Zhou couldn't help but scoff.
"Alright, stop acting so deep."
Chen Zhou waved his hand, interrupting the Toad Saint’s emotional speech. "I'm not as noble as you think."
"I protect them because they are mine."
"No one touches my things except me. It's that simple."
Sensing the increasingly violent energy fluctuations outside, Chen Zhou stood up and patted non-existent dust from his black robes.
"Whatever. Are you coming out or not? If we keep chatting, they really won't hold on much longer."
"You might not care about your subordinates' lives, but I have to care about mine."
Chen Zhou pointed outward. "My little bugs, my paper people, and that stupid rat are all out there."
"They’re all my treasures. Since I brought them here, I naturally have to bring them back in one piece."
Having said that, he didn't care what the Toad Saint’s reaction was. His black robes swirled as his death qi transformed into a sharp blade, directly tearing through the meat wall of the gu jar, which was already covered in cracks.
Rippp—
The crack expanded.
With a flash, Chen Zhou charged straight out.
The Toad Saint dazed for a moment. Looking at Chen Zhou’s disappearing back, his tightly furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and a trace of a smile appeared on his lips.
"Your treasures, huh..."
He murmured softly. Then, his eyes narrowed as his aura surged, and he followed closely behind.
Since he had chosen to entrust everything to him, he had to at least clean up this final mess.
Outside the gu jar.
The Black Bone Hall was no more, reduced to a mess of ruins.
The toxic flowers were still withering across the sky, and in the center of the ruins, a faint golden light was struggling to hold its ground.
Su Xue was kneeling on the ground, her hands raised high, as the vegetation essence within her body poured out frantically as if it cost nothing.
"I must hold on... I must..."
Su Xue’s face was as pale as paper. Her originally black, lustrous hair had turned completely white, and fine wrinkles had crept into the corners of her eyes.
These were signs of life force exhaustion.
Thousand-Tangle’s self-destruction was too terrifying—a desperate strike from a peak expert of the second transformation of eerification. Even for Su Xue, protecting everyone required a staggering price.
She wasn't just protecting Lord Rat, the flower demons, and the human-livestock; she was even desperately trying to shield the Southern Region’s demons who had just been attacking them, as well as Thousand-Tangle’s dissipating remnant soul.
A massive amount of fate and fortune was consumed. When her fortune was insufficient, her longevity took its place.
But Su Xue did not give up; she remained exceptionally determined to protect the lives of all beings.
Lord Rat was watching from the side, frantic with worry. While maintaining the Great Plague Heaven to help devour the toxic air, he cursed loudly.
"You crazy woman, why are you worrying about those demons!"
"They were just trying to kill you! Do you have a hole in your brain?"
"Hurry up and retract the barrier! Just protect our own people! Are you trying to die?"
Lord Rat couldn't understand it at all.
In his worldview, saving his own people was his duty. When Jiu'er gave his life for him, Lord Rat wouldn't have said a word if he had to pay with his own life in return.
But saving enemies was just brainless.
Su Xue simply tilted her head and smiled. Though the smile looked aged because of the wrinkles, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Lord Rat, all sentient beings suffer."
"Thousand-Tangle has already paid the price. The remaining demons... their crimes do not warrant death."
"Besides..." Su Xue looked at the terrified minor demons. "They just want to live."
"As long as they can be saved, I will save them."
Lord Rat was left speechless by that smile.
"Damn it, you really are a holy mother!"
Lord Rat spat forcefully, but his movements became even faster, frantically drawing in the surrounding toxic air and absorbing the poison into his body.
"Consider it Lord Rat’s bad luck to have met a fool like you."
Just as Su Xue was about to reach her limit and the golden light was wavering.
Hum—
Two figures appeared out of thin air.
"My Lord!"
"Old Ancestor!"
Seeing that familiar black-robed figure, everyone’s heart settled.
Chen Zhou looked at the white-haired Su Xue and frowned slightly.
But he wasted no words and acted immediately.
The vast death qi within him erupted instantly. Death qi erodes all things, but it can also assimilate them.
The toxic vine petals flying through the air, which were lethal to the touch, were instantly covered in a spreading white bone texture the moment they contacted Chen Zhou’s death qi.
In an instant, the sky full of toxic flowers transformed into blossoms of crystal-clear bone lotuses.
The bone lotuses bloomed in the air, possessing a breathtaking beauty.
The flower demons were all mesmerized.
This was a beauty filled with the aura of death, yet also incomparably sacred.
'Is this My Lord’s aesthetic?'
'So impressive. We've learned something new.'
On the other side, the Toad Saint was not idle either.
The moment he emerged and saw Su Xue’s aged appearance, he grew frantic with concern. He opened his mouth wide, and the terrifying demonic power of a seventh-stage demon king erupted.
He didn't bother with the bone lotuses. Instead, he focused on the death qi origin that had dissipated after Thousand-Tangle’s self-destruction.
That death qi shared the same source as his own; to him, it was a great tonic, but also a potent poison.
However, he knew that Chen Zhou’s death qi couldn't yet assimilate other death qi.
Only he could. Only by absorbing this death qi could Su Xue’s pressure truly be relieved.
A massive amount of death qi was swallowed by the Toad Saint, merging with the death qi inside him. This caused the gu insects in his body to stir again, bringing him excruciating pain.
But he didn't make a sound, enduring it through the sheer strength of his powerful physical body.
The situation was instantly brought under control.
The storm ceased.
Rate on N.U.
